Now Reading: Punjab minister confronted by students over Rs 150-crore university debt
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Punjab minister confronted by students over Rs 150-crore university debt
Punjab minister confronted by students over Rs 150-crore university debt
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh faced a protest by students at Punjabi University in Patiala on Wednesday during a state-level AIDS campaign launch. Members of the Democratic Students Organisation demanded the…
The Story in Brief
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh faced a protest by students at Punjabi University in Patiala on Wednesday during a state-level AIDS campaign launch. Members of the Democratic Students Organisation demanded the state government waive the university's Rs 150-crore debt and release pending funds. Students also highlighted overcrowded hostels where three to four students share a room, with inadequate drinking water and toilets. When questioned, Dr Singh told students to approach the education minister as he lacked information on university finances. The students criticised the minister for being unaware of the institution's problems. The outfit warned against any fee hike and said it would intensify its agitation if demands are not met.
The Indian Opinion
The minister's 'ask the education minister' reply is easily caricatured as bureaucratic buck-passing, but it also reflects a real problem: government departments work in silos. Still, a cabinet minister visiting a campus should at least know the broad financial shape of that institution. The students' demands, debt waiver, better hostels, no fee hike, are legitimate and affect thousands. The test now is whether the education minister responds publicly and concretely, or whether the Rs 150-crore debt becomes a political football while students suffer.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
